A Fate Worse Than Death

Episode Slant

By Illinois Jules

A prostitute is killed, Raven matches are found in her purse.

Flash Backing to Janette's mortal days, as a 'street lady'. We find her talking to an obviously abused woman, laying on a bed:

J: "If it's not one master, it's another. (Words of wisdom, dear girl. A physic preamble of things to come?)

She speaks to her pregnant friend, refering to the husband who turned her friend out, for not producing an heir, thus forcing her to prostitute herself. She then gets beaten, for becoming 'with child' and unable to 'work'.

Present:

Janette goes to Nick's loft. He's not expecting her.

N: "Janette, what are you doing here? It's still daylight."

J: "Please!" [disturbed by the rays of light streaming across the room, onto the floor. Nick darkens the windows] "How could you!? How could you set him free!?" [agitated]

N: "We couldn't book him. He didn't fire a gun...we couldn't place him at the scene."

J: "He kills these women a little bit at a time." [pause] "I thought you were the 'knight in shining armour'." [NK gives an "aaaah" in frustration] "And you rescue the damsels in distress...or perhaps whores don't count! [her voice raises loudly]

N: "I want him just as much as you do...there is no proof."

J: "He made this child a slave! (Oooh, the 'slave' word...let's jump back to Nikkie's first night of feeding. His accusation to LaCroix, that he is now his...'slave'.)

N: "What do you care, this is my problem." [flippantly]

J: "Then take care of it!"

N: "I haven't seen you like this before, not in 800 years. What is it?"

J: "Who's asking? Is it Nicolas," [that silent 's' thing] "or Detective Knight?"

"I am." (Sooo bold.)

(Here comes the good stuff.)

J: "You, of all people should know what her life is like. (It's that UFfish comment I noticed before. ;-[). ) Trapped in a world of darkness, with no way out. No escape from the hold of the master over her. (I like how it's a woman that Janette compares Nick to. Brickster, you're such a...whore! YAAAH!) Yes. You've had a taste of it, but you have no idea, what it's like to have EVERY MAN (She does emphasize those two words.) believe he owns you. (Nooo, Nikkie's only taste is that ONE man believes, knows, he owns him ;-[).)

Quick - Flash Back:

On the street, Janette is being accosted by several men who want something 'on the house'.

J: "To believe in yourself."

Another - Flash Back, again:

Janette wrenches free to be eventually saved by the tall, hooded, black caped Walking 'O' himself. She runs away. LC gives a very faint, sad smile to the retreating figure.

Cut back-

J: "Back then, a woman belonged to their father, then to her husband. To be passed on to a servant if she failed to produce an heir. To be sold to the brothel keeper if she was in the way of another marrage.

N: "Janette." [He's seated, facing a standing Janette. He reaches out his hand to comfort her]

J: [snapping back, turning and walking away] "A thousand years Nicolas, a thousand years, and things have not changed. These women are still property." [Her voice growing with passion again] "Another dead hooker. No big deal! Am I right!?"

N: "What do you want me to do? What are you asking?" [calm and even]

J: "I want him to pay!"

N: "That's not how it's done anymore, my hands are tied." [averting his eyes from her imploring gaze]

J: "Ha..! Mine are not!" [staring in disbelief at his seeming coldness]

Cut out of the loft-

Scene later:

Nick barges into the bar Mason the pimp hangs out at. He finds Janette there and the accused man, dead.

Later, as Nick is dropping off Janette at the Raven. Part of their conversation:

J: "You saw the hold he had on that child, someone had to free her."

N: "This didn't free her. She'll just belong to someone else, that's all. (Let's see...Nick belonged to the responsibility of his family, then the Crusades, now...LaCroix. I get it! ;-[). )

Janette now Flash Backing, still outside of the Raven:

(Nothing UF here, just can't help fixating on a seductive LaCroix. --oooh Bennett thigh and honey sticks! YAAAH! Hi Leslie, I intentionally have no children, avoids being the occasional embarrassment to them, among other reasons. My friends and family on the other hand...;-[).)

J: [her back is to us as she is lighting candles. A cape is softly draped over her shoulder. She whirls around. Stating in French] (Ugh! That subtitling again.) "I know you. You've been following me."

LC: (In all his venerable, stoic, pale glory. Beautifully illuminated in the golden glow.) [French] "You have no idea for how long." [English] "Daviau tells me you are of noble blood." [French] "Is it true?"

J: (She kicks into that 'hooker' mode.) [French] "I am whatever you want me to be."

LC: [English, with a grin] "I want you to be much more than nobility." [He reaches out to caress her jaw with his left hand. then steps back, his finger, crooking, gesturing for her to follow. speaking in French] "Come with me."

J: "If you meet Daviau's price."

LC: "Oh. No, no. What I offer cannot be bought...or sold. You must choose. Stay here, and die like your friend, as all these women will. Or come with me. And without your permission no mere mortal will ever dare touch you again. You've heard it said that, living well is the best revenge." [He now offers his right hand out to her, she takes it] [French] "On the contrary." [pulling her forward] "Living forever, (Tasty Nigel eyebrow raising here.) is the best revenge." (Leaning into Janette, LaCroix gives that delicious nip of immortality. YUM! Bite me LC, bite me! ;-[).)

Cut out- Commercial:

Various scening, we end up at the Raven:

A little Flash Back:

We have LaCroix offering Janette her 'owner' as her meal. (I swear, Walking 'O' gets a hard-on every time he watches his children feed, or anything else ;-[). )

Back to present:

There's a small verbal exchange between Janette and Nick. Just after he stops her from bringing across Celeste. Telling her Celeste is the killer. The girl admits it.

J: [to Nicolas] "What will this law of yours say of a woman who turns against the man who is destroying her. Of the victim who has the strength to become the bird of prey." (Now I realize this is not aimed at Nikkie, it relates to Janette's past. But, we all know NK currently hasn't the strength, willpower...desire? To assault the one he feels is destroying...him.)

Tag:

Nat finishes patching up Janette and leaves. Janette and Nick are now alone in the Raven:

N: [sitting next to his 'sister'] "Are you all right?"

J: "Your friend is an excellent surgeon."

N: "Hmmm."

J: "I saw so much of myself in Celeste. A woman who destroys her friends as well as her enemies."

N: "You thought you could help her start over. You're not like her Janette."

J: "You really think it is possible, to start over?"

N: "Yes." [smiling]

J: "I hope you're right. If that's what you want. I would have killed to set her free and I will do no less for you. Nicolas, you've been so weakened by this human concept of justice, it's lack of simplicity."

N: "Celeste is going to jail for what she did what could be simplier?"

J: "She's going from one prison to another. Her death would have been simpiler."

N: "At least this way she still has a chance to start over again."

J: "How? When your life is ruled by someone else." (She couldn't possibly be making a reference to LaCroix, now could she?)

N: [looking down, somber now. taking her hand in his] "We both know about that." (Yeah, but...Nikkie knows better than she does...that sing-song voice trolling through my head ;-[).)

Janette blinks, in thought, and leans down onto NK's shoulder.

N: [staring off, saying, as more of an out loud thought] "It's about how we live in captivity. We must escape or die trying." [small smile here] "Vampires and humans alike."

Fade out, End

Besides the fact there was way too less LaCroix for my taste, this is a good ep. I love the double meanings in some of those scenes, UF wise.